Trek of the Twins: Johto Awaits
by Jean de Kotennoh
Summary: A pair of Eeveelution twins, Mentali and Noctali, were spending a lovely day at the beach, when suddenly, the weather changed, a Legend was dumped in their face, and their lives took a turn for the dramatic. Follow the first part of their Trek here... ..
1. Chapter 1

**Trek of the Twins:**

**Johto Awaits**

Chapter One: A Day at the Beach

The deep, luxurious blue of the summertime Johto skies spread itself languidly from horizon to horizon, marred by naught but a single light, wispy skirt of condensed vapor, hung up amidst the great cobalt expanse as though forgotten by the rest of its kind. Beneath this inverted sea was its mirror image, the true ocean, if nothing but a deeper, richer hue even as it threw itself up against the grand shoreline southwest of Olivine City, playfully licking at the golden sands that lay at the foot of the land. It was a rare day – so perfectly marvelous that no one could bear to waste time working indoors; shopkeepers throughout the city had either moved their business out onto sprawling verandas or closed up for the day, having decided that a slight monetary loss was nothing compared to the forfeiture of such a grand day at a Port City.

Those who lived in Olivine had followed the trend, most families making their way slowly towards the beach, where they would partake of the many delicious hot-dog and frigid snow-cone vendors that dotted the dunes in droves, devouring such an opportunity that the weather presented. As children frolicked in the surf, shouting their jubilance in cadence along with a flock of lazy Wingulls, hovering in on the sea-bound thermals, parents, grandparents, and the odd teen sprawled themselves out upon enormous beach towels for a luxurious, endless sunbath, oblivious to the raucous capers of their young ones.

Humans weren't the only ones to enjoy such a grand day, however; the odd Pokémon could be seen every now and again along the beach, though usually it would have been very near someone – likely its devoted, hard-working trainer, determinedly pursuing the Johto League Gym Badges… even though a day at the beach didn't offer much to such a goal. However, this wasn't the case for every Pokémon around.

« Yo, Mentali! » Cried the exuberant, tenor voice of a young Umbreon as he darted out from behind a Hot Dog stand. His small, fox-like jaws were locked triumphantly around a well-seasoned sausage, which was in turn attached to a long, sizzling string of similarly heavenly meat. Despite the fact that his mouth was stuffed, his voice rang out loud and clear – a sound that no human could perceive, formed somewhere in the complex convolutions of the small Eeveelution's brain – and full of that rich, hearty sound granted only by a devilish success. The midnight-black Pokémon would have been one with the shadow cast by a large, red-and-white umbrella shading the Hot Dog stand, if it weren't for the dimly pulsating rings of soft, dusty blue that stood out against his sleek fur. The Umbreon's ears twitched in mild annoyance when he realized that his twin brother was nowhere to be found…

« Aww, where'd ya go? » He whined in a long, warbling drawl, trotting out from the safety of the shadow with the sausages trailing behind him in the sand. As soon as his form emerged into the sunlight, he was rendered momentarily blind by the power of the blazing noontide sun, beating down upon him from the sky and bouncing back up into his eyes off of the sand as well. Narrowing his large, almond-like orbits in consternation, he scanned the dunes for a moment, determined to find that accursed twin of his… but before he could locate the shimmering, silvery-lavender fur that would give away the Espeon's location, there was a raucous clatter and a gruff, human-like shout from the Hot Dog stand. The Umbreon turned around sharply, just in time to make out the hundreds of stiff straw bristles at the end of a very sturdy wooden broomstick that connected with his rump an instant later, the force of the blow literally sweeping him off of his hind legs so that he cut a dainty little front-flip on the spot.

"Get outta here, you little thief!" The scruffy wielder of the stinging broom shouted hoarsely, raising the commoner's weapon above his head once more. The little Umbreon's eyes widened briefly and he turned on his heels, kicking up a soft spray of sparkling sand as he fled the angered vendor. Luckily, he'd gotten away with the sausage, which was surely worth the stinging rump – and the throbbing pride. The rich, spicy flavor was enough to make the young Dark-type wish that he were a human, if only so that he could obtain more food like it without such bothersome chagrin.

After securely placing several good meters of distance between himself and the angry vendor, the roguish ivory-furred Pokémon slowed his frantic gallop to a more relaxed trot. At the crest of a sparkling golden dune, he paused to catch his breath, throwing a sideways glance back at the row of vendors from which he'd obtained today's lunch. The little beast fought the compulsory urge to drop the sausage long enough to stick his little pink tongue out in a display of his maturity, but he knew that keeping up with food was Serious Business, especially if one were a wild Pokémon.

The reasons for such caution were numerous… but one presented itself rather abruptly as the Umbreon turned back around to scan the shore for his brother, only to find that the other end of his chain of sausage had been seized in the orange-colored jaws of a medium-sized black puppy.

« Hey! » the Umbreon cried indignantly, yanking on the sausage while taking a large step back. « Go getcher own, ya little twit! » The opposing Houndour merely growled back, playfully wagging its stub of a tail, and chomped down harder upon his piece of sausage, yanking several of them off the chain. Without a second thought, the smaller Dark-type turned and fled, its large paws digging through sand and sending chunks of the moist, glassy material flying.

_[iThat little twit just took my food_,[/i the Umbreon thought to himself, staring down in disbelief at his diminished chain of sausage. Now there wouldn't be enough for Mentali… considering that he himself was a voracious eater. His large, reflective eyes narrowed in annoyance and he leapt forward, sliding down the long dune gracefully. At the foot, he burst into a much more delicate run than exhibited by the infantile Houndour, his smaller paws flying across the sand.

The Houndour had stopped, oblivious to all else in the world, a few meters from the tide line. He plopped down on his haunches and dropped the sausage onto the ground, basking in the glorious feeling of self-praise. After all, he'd just stolen food right from under that weird Umbreon's nose! What wasn't to rejoice over? His stubby little tail smacked into the wet sand gleefully as he leaned his head back, eyes closed, ears flattened against his skull, as happily as if he was being petted.

« HIIIIYAAAAAAAAA! » the Umbreon cried, throwing himself at the younger Houndour in a full-bodied Tackle attack. The blissfully unaware pup was bowled right over onto his face, his rump stuck up in the air indignantly. « I dunno who you think you are to snatch [i_my[/i_ food, but it ain't gonna happen, ya crazy. » As the Houndour floundered around helplessly, trying in vain to right himself, the Umbreon turned to reclaim his sausages – only to find that they were covered in strings of nasty, smelly [i_slobber_.[/i

« Now that is GROSS! » He cried sanctimoniously, as though he were above such refuse. He turned away once more, picking up what was left – unspoiled – of the original sausage chain, and pranced away, leaving the Houndour to perfect its Flail technique in peace.

It occurred to him that, despite the fact that he had much to be happy of in the form of FOOD, he still had no clue where his twin brother was, and that was something to be sad about. As he prowled along the Olivine shoreline, eventually moving past the wider stretch of beach where most people stayed, the curvature of the sand brought him in view of the Olivine Lighthouse. Once a rather nice structure, recent storms and a bothersome fire had swept through Olivine, and unfortunately, the Lighthouse simply hadn't seen its fair share of repairs. The light was kept burning (or rather, the Ampharos kept sparkling), and the tower kept standing, seeing as incoming ships relied on it… but the structural appeal had simply faded. It had become a rather depressing place, if not only to look at, then also to be around. Not even the magnificence of a day like that day could brighten the disheartening air.

The Umbreon's navy blue rings gave a slight glow as he realized that this was doubtlessly the perfect place to find that weirdo Espeon, Mentali. This fact in mind, he set off towards the looming, blackened stone structure at speed, the chain of succulent sausages still swinging from his jaws. It was all he could do not to eat it – hopefully, Mentali wouldn't be too hungry, and would consent to letting him have it all!

As he continued towards the direction of the Lighthouse, his angle of perspective was shifted enough in climbing a dune that he realized that the Lighthouse was a lot farther off than he'd originally thought – all the way, in fact, on the other side of the city. His spirited gait slowed once more, his ears drooping and his vulpine tail lowering to drag in the sand. It was going to be a long walk…

While most of the western Johto population was relaxing outdoors in the beautiful weather, a certain Pokémon of silvery-lavender fur had elected to do otherwise. Its pert nose was buried deep into the crook of its thigh as it lay curled in a tight ball; its large ears were pressed back, with the twin splits of its long, narrow tail lightly touching the dainty crimson jewel set into its forehead. Its smallish body was tucked neatly into the dark, quiet corner of a neat, tidy room at the Pokémon center. The local Nurse Joy believed strongly in reserving a come-and-go room for "stray Pokémon," hence, the space was completely free, and the Espeon wasn't imposing upon anyone – at least, he certainly hoped that he wasn't.

The room was only a few meters square, one of many that the pink-haired woman had set aside for such use. There was a large bowl of water and an identical bin of crunchy Pokémon food along one wall; the other three were bare, with the exception of a plethora of variously sized-and-colored pillows… none of which were currently in use by the Espeon. After all, what if another Pokémon came in and wanted a pillow? Far be it from the young Espeon to go claiming everything for himself. That was the kind of thing his brother, Noctali, would pull. Besides the pillows and food containers, the only thing ornamenting the room was a tactfully drab, red curtain that kept the sun on the other side of the small window.

The silvery creature was on the very brink of truly falling asleep, when the peace of his nap was shattered into a million little pieces; the two-way door flap suddenly smacked inwards as another Pokémon came blazing into the room. The Espeon's eyes flew open groggily and he sat up, blinking in surprise. At first, he thought his brother had burst in upon him, what with the new arrival's sand-ridden coat of black fur, but in an instant, he realized that this wasn't the case. A Houndour, not an Umbreon, had come into the room, sand coating his face as though he'd been swimming in it. At the sight of the Espeon, the Houndour stopped dead in his tracks, staring as though perplexed at the silvery Pokémon.

« Um… hello, » the Espeon muttered quietly, his deep baritone voice lowered by his near-sleep state, as well as in a desire to not frighten the Pokémon; Houndour were known to be rather jumpy creatures. At his greeting, the Houndour dropped a partial chain of slobbery sausage upon the floor and nodded at it pointedly.

« Um, » the Espeon faltered. « Thanks, but… I don't partake of pre-digested meat products terribly often… »

The Houndour didn't seem to know what to make of this. He nodded to the meat once more, and when the Espeon merely slumped in consternation, assuming the Pokémon to be misfortunately incompetent, he chose to speak.

« You no want? » he quipped, tilting his head to the right in a cute display of curiosity. « You no hit me for it? »

« No, I don't – wait, hit you? Why would I [i_hit[/i _you for it? » the Espeon asked, fully uncurling himself to stand properly. « Wait, let us try this again. Hello. My name's Mentali and I don't want your food. What's your name? » Truth be told, he didn't exactly want the strange Hound's presence at all; he'd rather go back to sleep and while away the hours.

« I no have name, » the Houndour replied, dropping to his haunches and starting to pant. He offered no more on the matter.

« Ooooo…kay, » Mentali said, his eyes shifting from left to right in worry. Not only was the beast incompetent, it was a nameless stray. Who knew what kind of diseases it could be carrying? « Well… I was just preparing to leave, so… you enjoy your sausage… and um… nice day t'you. » He started to edge around the pudgy Dark Pokémon, but before he'd made even a step, the Houndour lunged. Mentali bristled, a hiss escaping his suddenly bared fangs. Instinctively, he unleashed a blast of Psychic energy at the attacker, the air shimmering as the pulse was released from the glowing gem upon his forehead. He'd reflexively poured everything he had into the blast, not thinking to hold back so he wouldn't hurt the creature – who, much to his surprise, moved right through the blast as though it were a balmy breeze, and slammed into him shoulder-first, throwing him against the wall.

« What in the name of Mew?! » Mentali cried indignantly as the other Pokémon pinned him down by his shoulders. Its chops hung open and its tongue lolled out, a dollop of spit falling upon Mentali's pristine fur.

« You nice! I thought you wanna play Tackle! » The Houndour replied innocently. Mentali's patience was quickly running thin. This incompetent, filthy, slobbering beast had now not only interrupted his slumber, but had also tackled him into the wall… and wanted to call it play? After he [i_slobbered[/i_ on him?!

« You must be kidding me, » Mentali hissed, grinding his teeth together. He twisted away from the overly playful Houndour, slinking along the wall as quickly as his petit form would carry him. « I'm no plaything, you incommodious little vagrant. Enjoy your food in peace – at least you'll have some of the latter, eh? » And with that, he bound through the two-way flap and out into the brightly-lit hallway. As he was leaving, he heard the Houndour say something rather peculiar, especially for an incompetent stray:

« I no like Eevee-lu…lutions, » it muttered under its breath, catching itself on the long word. « That make two meanies in a row. »

At this comment, Mentali turned to peer back at the little doorway – one of many that lined the long hallway in which he stood – and decided to give the little cretin a moment to explain that last comment. He poked his nose back through the flap, looking poignantly at the black-furred creature, who was simply staring right back.

« Two meanies? » He asked, tilting his head. « You met another one before me? What did he look like? Was he being chased by an angry mob? Was he alive? Did he hurt you? Oh my goodness if he - » and here he stopped himself before he could start recounting particularly embarrassing moments from their earlier childhood. He left the many questions hanging, belatedly hoping that he hadn't confused the incompetent stray into a stupor.

« Your words go fast, » the burdening beast spoke slowly. « My name Archie, what yours? »

…At which Mentali gawked for a moment, then snapped his jaw shut and exhaled very, very slowly. This was highly annoying; it looked as though he'd have to really pull out all the stops on this creature.

« Call me… Bob, or something, just… tell me, the Pokémon that was following you, what did - »

An enormous explosion rattled the foundations of the Pokémon center, causing Mentali to bristle and reflexively throw up a shiny golden Barrier of light; Archie the Houndour simply cocked his head and looked amused, his tongue lolling out curiously. Mentali rushed over to the curtained window and edged his nose beneath the cloth, pressing his face up against the glass. He half-expected to see Noctali flying through the air, victim of some horrible accident of his own doing… but the only sight that greeted him was a group of humans standing around and laughing at the capers of a bunch of Electrodes. The Pokémon were repetitively colliding into each other, building up energy until one would explode – which had just happened, and was about to happen again. As Mentali turned from the window, slumping in mystified wonder of such idiocy, another fulminating explosion sounded, the shockwaves thumping through the smallish Pokémon's narrow chest like some demonic heartbeat.

« You know what? Never mind, » Mentali said in defeat. Noctali was obviously out there screwing around with random innocents again, so he didn't have time to try and decipher an incompetent stray's gibberish. He nodded curtly and walked out resolutely, his tail dragging the floor.

The black Umbreon had made his way through the edge of the town, never more than a few leaps away from the edge of the sea, all the while with a chain of sausage hanging from his mouth. The temptation to stop and devour the luxurious meats had become so great, he found himself thinking of the many reasons that doing so could be harmful – from the fact that it was fattening, to the very likely chance that he could gag on a piece, fall down, roll into the sea, get chomped on by Cloysters, and washed away to the shores of Hoenn or someplace like that, where he would be attacked by the savage Ambipom natives, done up in degrading make-up, and idolized over some strange ritual, all to prepare him to be eaten.

One didn't screw around with the Fates, after all.

They were mean Pokémon.

As he pondered upon these farfetched ideas, his dainty paws carried him right beyond the path that would lead him to the lighthouse – where he was [i_positive[/i_ he'd find his emo-facing brother – and on towards the eastern fringes of town. His nose was low to the ground, his ears twitching at every new scent that passed him by. His worries over his brother had very much receded; after all, Mentali could take care of himself, especially with those shiny powers of his.

The Umbreon was just beginning to realize that he'd forgotten about something rather important regarding his trip [i_away_ from the beach,[/i when a pebble struck his skull. Irked, he craned his neck around, ears perked straight up, to find the source of this aggravation… but when he looked, there wasn't a soul in sight. One imperceptible eyebrow twitched in confusion, but he passed it off as some crazy thing of the Fates and went along his way… until another pebble struck him – this one much harder, on the rump. With a yelp, he leapt around and scanned the area behind him… nothing but the receding buildings at the edge of the city, and –

« Oh, the lighthouse! » He reminded himself angrily, scrunching his eyes up in self-mocking fury. [i_Well, it's not like I got anything better to do,[/i_ he thought slowly. With a self-assuring nod, he trotted back towards the small dirt path that would lead him to the lighthouse. People usually took the larger, stoned walkway, but he, being a Pokémon, preferred the less beaten path. Some roguish bone within him simply demanded it.

As his small paws became dusty with the powdery white grit of the path, he noticed that it seemed to be getting darker. Casting a deep amber eye to the skies, he spotted an enormous bank of inky blackness spreading across the southern skies – down South towards Cyanwood Island. Unlike normal clouds, they didn't seem to fade towards the blue sky; rather, it was a harsh, jagged line of blackness.

He was coming upon the lighthouse itself, the huge building stretching high above him. Being as he and his brother had been in the Olivine area for a week or so now, the sheer size of the lighthouse was no longer so overpowering; hence, he didn't crane his head back in an effort to see the very top of the charred tower, like usual. Before he rounded the curved stone structure, his ears picked up the tiniest hint of sound on the sea breeze, a musical, lilting voice that both graced his ears and resounded gently throughout his mind.

«_…and a storm shall cleave the virgin sky… sounding out the mortal cry… of Human, Pokémon, and I…_ »

The black-furred Pokémon narrowed his eyes as a sudden gust of wind whipped up the sand around him, momentarily clouding his vision completely. He pressed onwards, blinking sand from his eyes, and came upon the stretch of land before the lighthouse. A long point of rock, covered in golden sand and the scraggly excuse for grass that grew nowhere else, it would have made a dramatic cliff-like scene if it were more than ten feet above the water. However, the beauty of the small area wasn't what attracted the Umbreon's gaze – it was the strange Pokémon perched on the very brink of the rock face. As the Umbreon approached, he absently realized that he could see straight through the Pokémon, as though it was a projection upon the very air. It was enormous compared to the small Umbreon, with a large crest upon its head from which flowed a cloudy mane of violet hue, two glistening white ribbons framing this shifting embodiment of wind. The regal Pokémon turned its sight upon the Umbreon, locking its amber eyes with an ebony gaze that seemed to halt time itself.

« _…you are called Noctali, _» the Pokémon said, its dually-resonant voice a low, baritone rumble. There was no hint of questioning to its tones; it knew that the Umbreon called himself Noctali, even though they'd never met. Noctali was, for once, uncharacteristically speechless. His mind was blank, and he felt as though he were being pulled closer to the transparent Pokémon. A wave crashed up over the rocks, spray moving through the image of the hound, which seemed to shudder and break up with the water… but after a pensive moment, it resolved itself, its image coming back together, though still indubitably transparent. The great hound gave a wind-stirring sigh and turned to gaze back out upon the troubling sea.

With the next gust of wind, the Pokémon was gone, as though it had never stood there to begin with. Noctali blinked in surprise, feeling as though he'd just awoken from a dream where he'd been flying in the clouds, and was now back on the crummy ground where normal Pokémon had to stay. He stared out across the expansive waters, towards the proliferating blackness which was moving ever nearer. One final gust kicked up grains of sand around him and pressed his ears flat, before the winds calmed entirely.

As he turned away from the sea, confused by this receding feeling of previous rêverie, a strange thought pervaded his conscience, as though he hadn't meant to think it himself – [i_I shall wait at Johto's end...[/i_

Chapitre 1 – Fin ; Pour être continué.

Des mots de l'auteur :

Well, I sincerely hope that one or two of you have made it this far. I know it's kind of a dull start, but hopefully I've managed to snag a few of you who want to know what happens next. If not, oh well. I'll post it anyways!

From Chapitre 2:

"…the two went tumbling down the steep embankment, a furry blur of silver and black, as the entire world seemed to implode upon itself in fiery wrath…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Storm Surge

"Mommy, look!" A little girl cried, prodding her dozing mother's shoulder insistently. Shifting in annoyance, the young, red-haired woman sat up on her large towel, rubbing her eyes against the bright sunlight.

"What is it, honey?" She asked in a sleepy voice. She'd been enjoying that nap so much…

"Look at the lightning!" The little red-haired girl jumped up and down in place, fueled by the many Snow Cones she'd devoured while her mother was out. Her pudgy little hand pointed out towards the seas, the vast blue expanse that had been so blissful only a few moments earlier. Now, great clouds covered the entire horizon, pitch black and looming ominously in the distance. Every few seconds, a great bolt of lightning would fling itself from the murky skies, crashing into the troubled sea below.

"Oh, my goodness," the woman said in alarm. "What on earth brought that on?"

Her sentiment was shared by all of the beach-goers, most notably the vendors. It had been a magnificent day for sales, but now, every single patron was hastily throwing their enormous towels and worn-out, deflated beach balls into bags, gathering their children, and heading back for the city. In a few moments, there would be no one left but the aggravated vendors themselves.

One creature noticed this fact in a particularly grim fashion as he nosed his way out of the Pokémon Center's back entrance – the stray's entrance. The silver-furred Espeon could smell the incoming storm the moment his paws met the grass. Gone was that warming sent of the balmy ocean breeze, replaced by a sharper tinge that stung the nostrils of such a delicate Pokémon as himself. His large cat-like ears stood up high as he quickly scanned the horizon, looking for any signs of otherworldly trouble that would hint at his brother's location.

Just as a particularly close bolt of lightning clove the darkening sky, the top of the Olivine Lighthouse exploded with golden light. The Ampharos had been set to work early; it wasn't yet dinner time in this part of the world, but it was beginning to look like the Ampharos's glow would be needed. Rather than a solid glow of light, however, the blindingly bright flashes came in a peculiar fashion, most likely some kind of nautical warning. Though Mentali knew nothing of the human's brand of warnings, he could sense the urgency of the situation through the Pokémon's haphazard technique. All was certainly not well for anyone at sea this evening…

Mentali trotted around the corner of the Pokémon center, heading for the street. However, he caught himself short as an enormous crowd of rugged-looking men, all dressed in crisp white uniforms went rushing by, headed for the harbor. One of them lost their funny sailor's caps, which was carried upwards on the breeze, before it plummeted for the earth. He didn't even glance back for it, apparently too set on his current mission to worry about it. Even the humans were getting antsy about the strange change of weather.

Mentali shuddered as he trotted out into the street, the ends of his tail writhing in worry. Even beyond the fact that the weather wasn't supposed to change so abruptly, something simply didn't seem right to him. His bones ached dully, as though some great, unseen force was squeezing every osteon within him. All of his acute instincts were screaming at him to find shelter, but he had a more important goal at paw – to find his brother.

« I swear I should flay that perfidious encumbrance of my life open right where he stands, » Mentali muttered to himself darkly as he headed towards the beach. He knew that Noctali loved the sun, the sand, and the prospect of causing trouble where people were around, so the beach seemed like the most likely place to find him. However, as his dainty little paws carried him past the end of the pavement and onto the small ridge that spanned the beach, he was presented with an alarming sight. The beach was completely and utterly void of Pokémon, as far as he could see. In fact, the only signs of life at all were in the forms of disgruntled human merchants packing up their wares.

As he stared in disbelief across the stretch of sand, he realized that the storm was approaching with sickening haste. The clouds were no longer 'in the distance;' they were not even a mile off shore. The winds had strengthened, and the delicate, family-friendly breakers that the Olivine Beach was renowned for had transformed themselves into broiling whitecaps of startling power. With every wave that crashed upon the sandy shore, the tide seemed to roll in higher and higher. For some reason, Mentali was oddly surprised when a large Kingler was thrown upon the sands by one particularly fierce wave. It raised its larger claw in a humorous display of anger and scuttled back into the waves, clicking and clacking boisterously at such dishonorable treatment. Mentali was momentarily glad he didn't understand the Click language; surely there were some hair-raising words in that last statement.

Mentali felt momentarily confused; why on earth would Noctali have left the beach without first trying to find him? Then it occurred to him, albeit belatedly – the rogue must have been out looking for him at that very moment. He craned his neck around towards the closer end of the beach, where the sands ended in the rough, rocky field that lead to the Lighthouse. He had no idea where Noctali would have gone; had the off-colored Umbreon possessed any brains, he would have known to come and find him in the quietest, most reclusive place possible, the Pokémon Center. Where had he actually gone to search?

« Thinking like him is impossible, » he muttered forlornly. Just as he was about to simply head into the city and start searching every vacant niche he could find, a warbling cry, stricken with some strange blend of inflections that made little sense together, came to him.

« MENNNNTALLLLIIIIII!!! »

Startled by the sudden scream, the silver-furred Espeon winced before turning to look in the direction of his hailer. Much to his relief, a frightened-looking Umbreon, whose rings shone a dusky blue, was galloping towards him on the path from the Lighthouse. As he neared, Mentali became aware of several things at once: one, his twin looked more frightened than he'd ever been in his life; two, tears were plastering the fur around his eyes as he ran at breakneck speed towards him; and three, he wasn't stopping.

Mentali barely had time to utter a curse as the ebony-furred beast of burden leapt the last few meters through the air, tumbling into his brother and sending them both over the small ridge towards the sand. Mentali really did loose a filthy curse, and the two went tumbling down the steep embankment, a furry blur of silver and black, as the entire world seemed to implode upon itself in fiery wrath. They landed in a heap upon the sand, a wave of flames leaping off the edge of the ridge from which they'd just fallen. All of creation seemed to shudder with some deafening impact of unknown origins, which tapered away gradually, fading like the overtones from some poorly tuned timpani.

« What in the name of all things Johto did you DO, you worthless ingrate?! » Mentali cried in shock, shoving his brother off of him and standing slowly, his knees and elbows shaking in a fit of terror. He gazed upon the singed grass at the top of the ridge, wondering what in the world had happened; his ears still rang painfully from the explosion. « Did you blow up all of Olivine?! » The gravity of his fears seeped into his voice, and Mentali realized that he sounded even nastier than usual.

While his brother blundered through a mouthful of incoherent gibberish, Mentali scaled the incline in a flash, reaching the top in a few strides. It had felt so much longer when they were rolling down in the first place. As he came upon the singed grass at the top, his watery black eyes widened in disbelief. There had been an old shack of some sort a few meters away from the ridge; now, all that was left of said shack was its singed, burning framework. A gaping hole had appeared in the roof, the windows were lying upon the ground in a million glistening pieces, and the door was simply gone.

It had been struck by lightning.

Mentali cast a terrified glance to the sky above; the storm was on them already! But there was no way it could have moved a mile in such short time – and then he realized, it wasn't the same bank of endless blackness hanging over his head. Another front had been moving in from the north the entire time; the two storms would meet not even a mile off shore at this rate.

« Noctali, I don't care what your problem is or where in all hell you've been, we MUST find shelter immediately! » Mentali screamed, peering over the edge at his brother. To his utter horror, the psychotic Umbreon had gotten to his feet and started marching resolutely towards the sea, his ears and tail drooping as though he were grieving – or in a trance. Growling to himself, Mentali leapt gracefully down to the sands below and caught up with the bothersome idiot in a few quick trots. For a moment, he simply trod beside him in a mock display of resolution, as though it were another day at the beach. However, when huge drops of rain began to pelt upon them, flung from the heavens like vicious stones, he cried out in rage.

« NOCTALI, WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?! » he screamed, stopping in his tracks. The ruby upon his forehead glistened as his frustration began to surface. Mentali turned to glance at him as though he was being bothered, and stared for a moment, his eyes blank and somehow lusterless. A moment later, with a furious shake of his head, he seemed to snap out of the trance-like state and return to himself.

« HOLY CRAP, MENTALI! » he shouted, leaping around to fully face his twin brother, setting his paws in some strange, braced position as though he was about to be slapped. « I just saw some kind of ghost or something I'm still not sure what the hell it was but it was freaky and it talked and it said something was happening and we have to go to Johto's end and - »

Noctali's rapid-fire speech halted as Mentali spun on the spot, whipping his twin tail-tips across his erratic brother's face with a loud slap. In that moment, the world was rendered white by another blinding flash of lightning, this from the still advancing storm front at sea. Noctali stared in shock, his eyes wide and his mouth agape – after all, he'd just been slapped.

« Whatever poisonous human food you've eaten to cause such delirium, I'm not in the mood at the moment! COME ON, YOU BRAINLESS IMBECILE! » With that, Mentali turned and bounded back towards the city, the rainfall thickening with every loping stride he took. After a few moments, Noctali caught up, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he strained to keep up with his faster brother. He'd been doing too much running lately… or rather, not enough, by one perspective.

« I didn't eat any human food at all today! » Noctali protested belatedly, throwing a sideways glare at his insulting brother. « I was gonna, but I lost it when I saw that ghost! » Seeing his brother's black eyes roll in consternation at this statement, he continued urgently. « I'm not kidding, Mentali! It was this big blue dog thingy at the Lighthouse! But it wasn't really there - »

« EXACTLY my point, » Noctali interrupted impatiently, scaling the ridge yet again.

« No, but it was! You don't get it! It was like, I dunno, foggy-sandy-shifty-drifty! » he argued, determined to get his point across as they rushed towards the Pokémon center. Luckily enough, it was one of the closest buildings to the beach, second only to the Lighthouse. As they neared, the storm above them unleashed another raging bolt of lightning, though this seemed even deadlier than the last. A strange, crackling finger of electrical energy, it seemed to move slower than lightning should, with some sick, controlled directive; the twins stopped and watched in awed horror as it raced through the air towards the Lighthouse. In the same instant, the Lighthouse stopped glowing. All of time seemed to slow to the Pokémon spectators as the Lighthouse's Ampharos hurried out onto a small platform, its entire body crackling with brilliant golden electricity. Not even a second before the bolt of white from the heavens would have reached the Lighthouse, the Ampharos unleashed a massive bolt of its own – surely the most powerful Thunder attack the twins had ever seen, second only to their older sister's – that connected with the attacking arc from the heavens.

As the two writhing serpents of electricity met, the thunder that had accompanied the original lightning was shamed into silence by the earth-shattering roar which grew from the resulting explosion. The point at which the countering charges collided erupted into an enormous orb of brilliant white energy before imploding upon itself with one final, resounding [i_crack[/i_. In the moments after this furious display, the energy from so many gigavolts of electricity seemed to weigh upon the air even more heavily than the storm itself. Upon the pinnacle of the Lighthouse, the Ampharos took a few deep gasps, electricity still crackling around the orbs upon its forehead and tail. It nodded to itself in resolute resolve, and dashed back within. A moment later, the strange, flashing nautical code started blinking again, as surely as if it had never stopped to begin with.

For a moment, the twins simply stared, not quite sure what to make of what they'd just seen. It didn't make sense in any way, shape, or form… but there was no denying it. They were snapped out of their stunned stupor when a piercing, high-pitched human voice cried out above the wind.

"You Pokémon!" The commanding, feminine voice cried. "Get in here, NOW!" Mentali and Noctali turned in the direction of the call, and found Nurse Joy standing with the door of the Pokémon Center ajar, rain soaking through her nurse's cap and matting her pink hair down. A Chansey and a Blissey stood on either side of her, the nursing Pokémon looking as worried as their bun-haired overseer. Mentali burst into a renewed run for the Pokémon Center, the roar of thunder overhead masking the sound of his brother falling to the ground. As Mentali neared the cement porch, one of the Blisseys shoved by, casting an ultimately scathing glance at the ignorant, sopping-wet Espeon.

The Blissey scampered out across the lawns as fast as her small, dancer-shoe feet would allow her, nearly slipping on the slick grass herself. She reached the Umbreon, who'd gotten his paw caught in a strange hole beneath the mud, without chagrin. With surprising strength for a Pokémon known only for healing, she seized Noctali by his ribs and yanked him free of the mud, throwing him over her shoulders like a sac of feathers. Without a word edgewise, she scampered back towards the Pokémon center.

« Um, thanks, » Noctali muttered, his words mangled by the bumpiness of the ride. Nurse Joy and the other Blissey stood aside as the valiant rescuer rushed in. Her large, egg-shaped form dripped what seemed like gallons of water all over the marble-floored entryway. She carefully deposited the slick Umbreon upon the floor, and headed off wordlessly with her partner. They had sick Pokémon to take care of, after all.

Mentali padded softly over to where his brother had been deposited, leaving his own trail of water. He had a monumental urge to shake himself like some lowly feline, but figured that such an act was best saved for a less public place. They had entered through the main entrance, hence there was an enormous audience, staring blankly at the two new arrivals. From blue-tinted wall to blue-tinted wall, people of all shapes and sizes had managed to pack themselves. What would have been a cozy, welcoming reception area had been transformed into a rather damp, stuffy holding cell of sorts. Even Pokémon were smashed into the mix – what on Earth had possessed their trainers to [i_not[/i_ recall them was anyone's guess.

« Dude, you're friggin' wet, » Noctali jested, lifting a paw and tweaking his twin's large, drooping ear. Mentali uttered a low, warning growl, and skulked off towards the other side of the room. After a few paces, he realized that he wasn't being followed – and that people weren't staring at him, as he thought they were. Every eye in the humid room was trained on Noctali, scrutinizing the little Umbreon's every movement. This seemed a little strange to the silver-furred Espeon for a moment… but then he realized what they were so intrigued by.

One particularly intelligent Homo sapien chose to make it startlingly clear, just in case anyone missed the fact.

"Dude… it's a shiny Umbreon…"

A ripple of agreement flowed through the room like a grasshopper with a cold. Heads bobbed in agreement, eyes sparkled even more brightly in appreciation of the rare specimen before their eyes. Mentali nearly face-planted when he realized that these buffoons were putting his crazy twin on some kind of exalted pedestal. The strange thrum of energy in the air made him expect some kind of fan-girlish cheer to rise up spookily through the room.

It was Nurse Joy – obviously the only competent human in the room – who finally broke the strange silence.

"OKAY! Everyone! It's not like you've never seen a shiny Pokémon before, right?"

People shouted in disagreement, the younger trainers present making strange clenching motions, indicative of their desire to capture the creature. One pig-hailed girl even cried out that the Umbreon would be hers very soon.

"Oh, no, nonononooooooo," Nurse Joy stated flatly, producing a large, fluffy towel out of seemingly nowhere. "There will be no Pokémon capturing in [i_my[/i_ waiting room, so you all can just forget it!" As she spoke, she stooped down, her stern expression softening, and wrapped the towel around the scruffy, wet Pokémon. Mentali's jaw dropped as he watched his brother [i_allow himself[/i_ to be lifted into the air in such a demeaning manner. It was shocking!

To Noctali, however, it was a rather pleasing sensation. He allowed a contented expression to grace his visage as the warm, fluffy blue towel enveloped him. He reclined languidly in the Nurse's gentle, experienced arms, lifting a paw as cutely as a tiny kitten towards her calm, smiling face. He decided that he very much liked this human; she wasn't like those mean vendors who simply wanted to make sure he was far, far away from their food. She was nice, accepting, and everything else that a good Nurse was supposed to be. Considering the startling chain of events through which he'd just been dragged, this was a very, very comforting situation to be in. She carried him off towards a large, glass-paneled door that was emblazoned "EMERGENCY," pushing through with her shoulder. No one was likely to try and follow them into the Emergency Room; as genial and caring as Nurse Joy was known to be, she was equally well known for her unrelenting attitude on disallowing unnecessary parties to enter the recovery areas. In short, one didn't mess with her if one valued one's Trainer License, among other things.

Mentali realized belatedly that he wouldn't be able to get back there either, and burst into a determined run towards the other side of the room. However, the sea of people had washed over what little space was left between him and the doorway, many of them pressing their faces against the glass to stare after the rare Pokémon. As the forest of legs thickened into some mock Great Wall, he became aware of the fact that he wouldn't be getting back there easily.

Or at all for that matter.

« I should blast the lot of you into Kanto, » he muttered darkly, his eyes flashing a pale, misty blue for but a second.

The uneasy shifting of the voluminous bank of clouds reminded it of some pathetic swarm of sacrificial nothings, writhing in agony as the ritualistic flames of the Ancients reached higher and higher from the depths, inching ever closer to the wretched souls to be surrendered. A great, all-encompassing sigh, akin to the four winds themselves, escaped its paradoxically diminutive form as it peered down at the frothy sea of blackness beneath him.

«_ [iThe time is upon us…[/i_ » this strange being stated, gazing out across the storm beneath him. Its voice was both light upon the atmospheric winds, and as heavy as the mountain that stood beneath it; it carried endlessly across the plains of existence, while reverberating back upon the small creature as though it had cried into a cavernous crevasse. At once, it seemed to be speaking to itself, to no one, and to the other, equivalently curious Pokémon floating a few feet behind it.

« [i_Are you sure this time?[/i _» The innocent question carried a note of obvious disbelief. This Pokémon's voice was monumentally more confined, less flashy; it was as though it had so much less to prove through the way it spoke, of all things. It lashed its pink tail around nervously, edging closer to the other fairy-like creature. « _After all, you remember what happened last time, right?_ » This time, its voice had lost the near sweetness that was present, reducing itself to an uncharacteristically icy hiss.

« [i_Yes… you needn't remind me, _master_,[/i_ » the first Pokémon replied, its thin, wispy antennae fidgeting. It spat the word "master" as though it was physically painful to say it. « [i_Where's that fool from Hoenn?[/i_ » It asked, its resonant voice betraying the speaker's wish to change the subject.

« [i_Need I remind you that this 'fool' of which you speak is your endless superior, you sickly green excuse for an Ancient?[/i_ » Came a new voice, this one stranger than even the first's. It seemed to assail their minds as though from afar, the tune of some neglected ocarina carried to them upon the River of Time itself. The insulting Pokémon winced in shame, turning its slanted gaze upon this final arrival. It offered no apologies for its slanderous statement, merely darting its gaze between each of the three ribbons hung around this final fairy's golden visage.

« [i_You be late Jiri,[/i_ » the magenta-hued Pokémon spoke, nodding indicatively to the newest arrival.

« [i_I beg of your forgiveness, master,[/i_ » this Pokémon said reverently, bowings its squat form even lower towards the spot upon which it floated. « [i_There were problematic circumstances in Hoenn, milord.[/i_ »

The pink Pokémon twitched, almost imperceptibly, at this newest title.

« [i_You crazies insist on calling me master… fine. But none o' that 'milord' crap, mmkay? Mmkay. On to business, then.[/i_ » It suddenly vanished with a small puff of pink smoke and curious "poof" sound, reappearing several meters away from the pinnacle of the mountain, hanging upside in the air as though it was a commonplace thing to do so. « _[iAs the two of you should be able to see, unless you're blind, that is… Celi, you can open your eyes, I know you have all your shiny VISION BEYOND SIGHT powers and such, no need to brag. Seriously, to think I named you protector of Johto. What mushrooms DID you give me that day…? ANYWAYS. So chyeah. The storm's started. It's raining and lightning…ing… everywhere in Johto by now, I'm sure. In fact, the Olivine Lighthouse was nearly taken down by an Unholy Bolt –[/i_ »

« [i_But the Ampharos that I appointed managed to fend it off,[/i_ » the Pokémon with antennae said boastfully. Their master simply stared blankly for a moment, before continuing with an edge of impatience to his playful tones.

« _[iBut, Celi's precious little naked sheep managed to save everything. Woot. Whatever WOULD we do withoutcha, Celi? Anywho. At the Lighthouse, Suici-darling managed to contact one of the Twelve Adamants all spirity-ful-like, which, I do believe, is why the Unholy Bolt was launched at the Lighthouse. Zappy and Rai-rai are getting a little antsy, if I do say so myself.[/i_ » Here, the speaker stopped, righting himself with another melodramatic puff of pink smoke. When he reappeared this time, though, he was reclining on a peculiar, squeaky pink ball. With twin pops, a green and blue ball of similar energy appeared beneath the other two Pokémon, respectively, startling them only momentarily as they were forced into the strange seats. They were used to their master's antics; who wouldn't be after millennia of unending sameness? After a few comfort-attaining squeaks, their master spoke again.

« [i_I also managed to do some… um. Scouting? Yeah, scouting. I managed to do some scouting on the Adamant's family, and I'm thinking that there's another Adamant amongst them. After all, there are eight of 'em for Arcy's sake. YO ARCY YOU LISTENIN?!?!?![/i_ » The pink-bodied creature's sudden, spastic ejaculation caused the other two fairies to jump in alarm; their master had projected its voice rather ominously through what felt like all creation. Each of them felt the cry reverberate through their very souls, as when their master would call to them for meetings such as this. The echoes of the cry faded, and the Pokémon spoke again.

« [i_I sure wish that fool'd wake up from his Godly rest, jeez. At any rate. I'm not sure if it's the Adamant's twin or not, but that's the most obvious choice. I'll have to look into him s'more. Yo, Jiri, how's things on the Über Wish front?[/i_ » The Pokémon who reclined upon the squeaky blue orb seemed to cringe mentally, taking a moment to think upon his response.

« [i_My… granting… powers… won't be restored for… um. Another six months, master…[/i_ »

At this, their master looked up, enormous blue eyes widened in alarm. The air of lackadaisical leisure left the small Pokémon's features in a rush. The enormous blue eyes narrowed, brows furrowed in worry as its gaze was cast back out upon the sea of wrathful clouds.

« [i_Then I'm sorry as hell for the Adamants…[/i_ »

Chapitre 2 – Fin; Pour être continué.

Des mots de l'auteur:

Alright then, Chapter 2! I'm somewhat ashamed of this one, but I'm not going to say anything; let me know what you all think, okay?

From Chapitre 3:

"…Mentali ground his fangs together in aggravated consternation, struggling against the flames of endless pain in his side. The gem upon his forehead began to glow, more fiercely than ever before, as he prepared himself for what had to be done…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The First Clash

"Greetings, people of Johto. This is Mariana Schwartz, head meteorologist of the Goldenrod Central Forecasting Team. I'm here to confirm the rumors that seem to have swept through the Johto region even faster than the storm itself… but I must first ask, on behalf of law enforcement everywhere that no one, quote, flips out and throws chairs through their television sets and or windows, end quote. Thank you. Now then, first are the reports of the lightning strikes in various…"

Noctali blinked slowly in boredom, no longer really noticing the constant thrum of the television. Nurse Joy had placed him, wrapped in his swaddling towel and all, on a large cushion in her private office, before hurrying off to take care of the 'real' sick Pokémon. She'd had the courtesy to leave a bowl of smelly dry Pokémon food, a pan of sharp-tasting water, and as noted, the television turned on. It hadn't even taken one bite for Noctali to find that he [i_hated[/i_ the food; it was some generic, processed crap best reserved for all the strays she welcomed in.

Wait just a minute… she considered [i_him_[/i a stray, didn't she? As this thought repeated itself in his mind, he leapt off the cushion in a flurry, ears jutting rigidly into the air, nose perked high in an egotistical display. He was no stray, and he absolutely refused to be treated like one. Hospitality be damned, he had a name and everything; how could he be a stray? Deciding that he'd had enough of the boring meteorologist's rambling, he trotted out of the open door to the Nurse's office, intent on finding his brother. After all, he needed to cram his story through that uppity Psychic-type's skull if it was the last thing he did.

On the television, Mariana Schwartz was busy gesticulating madly towards an atmospheric view of the Kanto-Johto landmass, showing how both regions were being covered by the strange storm – a storm whose center seemed to be the rugged peak of Mount Silver.

[i_Nudge.[/i_

A mangled noise of ultimate displeasure issued from the inanimate lump of silvery-lavender fur.

[i_Nudge nudge.[/i_

Mentali, who was still half-asleep and very much wanted to stay that way, elected to simply lash out with a pulsation of Psychic energy, just strong enough to shove back whatever was so rudely interrupting his sleep. Waves of pale blue energy wafted off of his still-unmoving form… but they merely slid past the blue-ringed Umbreon who stood there. Noctali had to suppress a giggle at the ticklish sensation of the Psychic energy. He stuck his tongue out in focused determination and extended one dainty black paw, inching ever closer to the dozing form's bony scapula. Closer… closer…

[i_Nudge.[/i_

« FOR THE LOVE OF JOHTO! » Mentali screeched, flinging himself into a perfectly-rehearsed, time-proven, never-before-failed sideways Tackle. Much to the groggy Pokémon's surprise, however, he found himself skidding along the slippery floor, rather than colliding with whomsoever had been bothering him. With repetition came indeed perfection, but also the prospect of one getting used to such a response. Noctali wagged his tail with gleeful pride as he watched his twin struggling to right himself in a small puddle of water.

« That's gotta be like, the ba-jillionth time that's worked, dude! » Noctali cried jovially, bounding over and skidding across the floor on outstretched paws, all just to crash right into his brother. He toppled over the aggravated Espeon, legs flailing, laughing in unabated mirth. Mentali was simply bowled back over onto the floor, clipping his chin painfully against the tiling. After a perilous moment in which his poor head was perfecting a butterfly stroke, Mentali spoke in a quietly controlled voice that belied his current state of wrath.

« Though it may be fun and games to you, my [i_dear_[/i brother, » he began, words slurred by wrathful grogginess, « Your bothersome sense of humor tends to wear my nerves incredibly thin. I kindly request that your frivolous antics cease. Soon. »

Mentali stood, trying his best to conserve what little dignity he had left, and sauntered shakily towards the hallway that led to the back. Perhaps he'd be able to get some sleep there; after all, Noctali wasn't the kind for empty, boring rooms. His tail dragged along the ground, his eyes lowered and hooded by sleepiness. Mentali seemed to overlook the fact that walking like so rendered him rather defenseless…

His wearisome cry of protest was even louder than the exuberant shout which Noctali released upon tackling him – yet again.

And thus the two bickered as they made their way through the fairly vacant Pokémon center, headed towards the strays' rooms. After the attraction of the Shiny Umbreon had been out of sight for an hour or so, the trainers who'd crowded themselves in the waiting room had begun to drift away. The storm had turned itself into a kind of steady pulsation of rain, without all the vigorous lightning and clamorous thunder that had so plagued the Eeveelutionary twins. It was almost as if the wrath of the entity had subdued the instant they entered the Pokémon Center… Therefore, most people simply braved the rains, running to wherever it was that they had to be. One uppity trainer from another region took the pleasure of showing off the shiny powers of his Kirlia – a Pokémon that would never be seen in the Johto wild – by Teleporting. If only he could have seen the faces of the crowd, most of whom had been irked by his constant bragging anyway.

Mentali nosed his way into a vacant room on the left side of the hallway; for a moment, he thought that he'd gone into the same room as before. In reality, it was merely set up in the same lackluster, prefabricated manner. Upon entering, he padded softly over towards the silvery pan of water, dipping his muzzle in daintily for a drink.

He was reminded of his maddening brother when Noctali nearly submerged his entire face in the shallow pan, soaking the lavender Espeon… again. Water shot up his nose as he snorted in surprise, causing him to splutter and sneeze indignantly. Leaping backwards, he laid the most contemptuous glare he could muster upon the black beast. Noctali, to no surprise, simply continued to face-plant in the water pan, happily enjoying himself until all of the water was successfully strewn about that part of the room.

« You… incorrigibly… numb-skulled… scum, » Mentali spat. Despite his scathing comments, though, and a few earlier remarks, he belatedly realized that Noctali had been trying to tell him something before being carried away like a celebrity. The more the idea bounced around within his cranium, the more Mentali accepted that it might be wise to give the beast time to explain himself. « So, um… my dearest brother, » he began, his tone overly sweet, « Do me the undeniable [i_honor[/i_ of hearing that which transpired in your little escapade today. »

Noctali glanced sideways at his twin, who was disdainfully using his front leg to dry his face. As water dripped like rain from his own soaking visage, he couldn't help but wonder why Mentali suddenly wanted to hear it so much. …Oh well, he was being nice for a change, wasn't he?

« Okay! » Noctali cried, practically cutting a back flip as he leapt around and flew towards one of the plump pillows piled all over the place. He happily plopped down upon the puffy square, legs splayed out haphazardly. As he recounted his [i_epic[/i_ tale, his tail wagged gently back and forth (and was the better part of Mentali's focus).

« It was so awesome! I was walking around the Lighthouse, right? And there was this voice, and it like, sang or something, I'm not really sure – it was talking in my head and in my ears at the same time. I was like, DUDE, that's awesome! Anywho, after he… she… it, what the fevah, stopped singing, it like, TALKED to me, dude! And, and it was like a ghost or something, y'know? No, you dunno… um… like, I could see through it and stuff and the water messed it up! »

Mentali nodded slowly the entire second and a half that it took for his brother to say all that. When more than three nanoseconds passed after the word "up," he took his chance to say,

« So it was a ghost, then? Ghastly aren't exactly common around this city, but we are rather within the proximity of Ecruteak; perhaps one was a bit wayward in its deathly wanderings – mother may even have chased that one dolt out at last. » Though he wouldn't admit it, something about his skeptical assurance was rather… empty, even to his own mind. A Ghastly could have even been haunting the Lighthouse itself, a more likely place of origin, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

« Dang it, Mentali, I already toldja, it was a [i_dog[/i_ ghost. It was all blue and white, and it had like, freaky hippy hair or something – all cloudy-like and everything – and these big long ribbons, like some girl would wear, but it sounded like a dude when it talked… maybe he was just into ribbons, heck if I know, but anyway it wasn't no Ghastly or anything, dude, it was like, whooooaaaahhhh. »

Mentali felt a chill skipping down his spine as this description was painted throughout his mind; his fur stood on end, surely making him look poorly groomed and heathenish, but for once in his life, his appearance wasn't too high up on his list of priorities. He'd heard of a Pokémon with that description… but there was no way.

« Noctali… you're… you're joking, surely, I - »

« Dude! I'm tellin' ya, I saw what I saw! And it said something kinda funny, too - »

Mentali bristled even further, as though his own question frightened him, as he interrupted, « Something about Johto's End, by any chance? » His voice was barely perceptible, so quietly did he utter the query.

« EXACTLY, dude! » Noctali shouted, fidgeting all over the pillow so frantically that he was almost literally beside himself. In all his excitement, he managed to fall face-forward off of the pillow, panting with the exertion of his exclamation and making quite the clamor. Such a clamor, in fact, that as he righted himself, ears going in strangely different directions, he realized something rather alarming – Mentali had very much left the room, and he'd totally missed it.

« Dude, that ain't cool. »

Mentali cursed himself for being one of the very few Psychic-type Pokémon out there [i_without[/i_ the ability to Teleport, of all things. As soon as he'd realized what Noctali was talking about – even though Noctali himself knew not – he'd bolted out of the Pokémon Center's stray's exit at breakneck speed. One thought charged frantically around his mind after hearing Noctali's tale – he had to go home.

After all, it was his own mother who'd told him the old stories – the Diatribes of the Ancients. She was the reason he'd learned of the startling saga behind the Messenger of the Wind and Johto's End. She was the reason his fur had stood on end at Noctali's recollection, so innocently and ignorantly stated that it could only be true. Of course, to him they had been but fanciful stories, just far enough beyond reason and full enough of fantastical surrealism to entertain his then-juvenile mind.

The rain beat upon him as though it had a personal bone to pick with the bedraggled Espeon. His ears were practically plastered to his neck; his normally dainty paws and tail-tips were all plastered with copious amounts of grainy grey and brown mud. He had currently abandoned all pretense of cleanliness; the most important matter at hand involved getting home as quickly as possible. Above him, the broiling blackness of the sky was split by lightning, evidence of the heavens' mounting wrath.

To top off this loud interruption to his reminiscing, Mentali found himself suddenly flying through the air; something rather large and painfully solid had powerfully struck his hindquarter. A strangled noise escaped the surprised Pokémon before he slammed face-first into the mud, sliding for several disgusting meters. When at last the momentum of his run and the attack died away, he laid in the mud dejectedly, his face and the left side of his body completely coated by the grainy, sticky substance.

Mentali dug his forepaws into the liquid excuse for earth, pushing down with all his might to free himself. The mud had a curious suction to it, so saturated it was by the torrential rains. At last, he managed to get enough traction in flailing about that he popped free of the inch-deep tomb with a peculiar cartoonist's "pop!" He fell back upon his haunches, spluttering both indignantly and in genuine disgust; to his chagrin, he'd partaken a bit more literally than one would imagine of the mud-pie.

Blinking the filth from his eyes, he scanned the area around him for whatever had caused his fall. It was about to get a taste of what a truly outraged Espeon could do… that is to say, if he could actually find it. His blinking eyes roved the long, muddy road back towards Olivine, finding it empty; up towards the far-off Miltank farm, with the same result. There was nothing there! Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he slowly got back to his feet, tail tips lashing, and turned back along his way.

« AAAHHH!!! » he screeched, leaping into the air like a cat in a comic, fur bristled with shock. Upon turning, he'd come face to face – quite literally – with a strange, floating Pokémon. Its body was composed of three symmetrical spheres, each just barely touching another, so that it hovered in a rounded, inverted letter "V." Six black magnets jutted out at strange angles from its form, two allotted to each sphere, as well as nine large, cumbersome screws. One eye blinked innocently back at the shocked Espeon as the Magneton evidently tried to figure out what the creature's problem was.

« What in name of all things JOHTO do you mean, running around and scaring the LIFE out of random Pokémon in such a DISGRACEFUL manner, you agonizingly-proportioned, improperly-suspended excuse for a carbon-based life form?! Are you even carbon-based to begin with, or not? It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that you were composed of some refuse steel scraps or something along those… »

As Mentali carried on indignantly, subconsciously beginning to pace in circles as he named all the possible genetic flaws that could have led to such an incredibly blasé Pokémon (while also naming the numerous defects that the Magneton's parents must have passed on), said three-eyed Pokémon began to feel rather offended. Most of the multi-syllabic words that the strange Espeon employed went right around his central sphere, however, he did catch the gist. Was it his fault that the crazy fox-wannabe had been in his way as he was bettering his Take Down attack? No! That little jerk had no reason to go off on him like that!

These thoughts tumbled around in the Magneton's head for but a few seconds before he'd made up his mind. All three eyes – though physically unchanging in shape – shifted to glare utter death at the obliviously insulting, mud-caked Pokémon below. A small blue spark crackled into life around a screw on his central sphere, mimicked instantly by the other eight screws present. In an instant, a bluish-white charge lanced between the small protrusions, curving around the blue and red ends of the magnets to form a large ring of electricity that encircled the whole Pokémon.

« …and I shan't even [i_begin[/i_ to postulate upon what could have led to the attachment of those horridly unfashionable magnets upon your – excuse me, are you paying well attention to me? I don't believe – oh, dear Thunder."

Mentali had finally noticed the Magneton, which had risen to hover nearly three meters in the air – far out of his easier reach, and at the perfect angle for something rather sinister.

« Izzzz a Zzzzzhunder-zzzzzzhock-ck-ck, axshallllyyyyyy, » the Magneton drawled, its voice that of all three component Magnemite, speaking together in discordant unison. « I haven't learnnnnned Zzzzzhunderrrr yeeeeet-t. »

« Oh, lovely, I'm sure it's a fantastic attack, but could you perhaps direct it off in the other direction when you release it, please? I'm not terribly fond of electrical shocks, and thus - »

His words dissolved into a buzzing screech as the distance between the Magneton and himself was bridged. The arc of negative ions moved much faster than the most recent lightning he'd witnessed; as such, Mentali couldn't react in time… and consequently, he spent the next several seconds writhing his way through a complex series of shameful contortions, electricity having enveloped his body completely. When at last the onslaught ceased, the lavender-furred Pokémon sucked in an enormous breath, reclaiming that which he'd lost in shrieking.

He took several further gasps, trying to keep from swaying upon his muddied paws. The Magneton was certainly a strong Pokémon, and its Thundershock the same, but Mentali knew that he could withstand far worse punishment than that. He'd merely been unprepared for the sudden attack. After a moment, he bowed his head in resolution and spoke once more. This time, the high-and-mighty air of careless flippancy had gone from his tones, replaced by a decidedly more combative edge.

« Very well then, my dear Magneton, » he breathed, trying not to pant too noticeably. « I see that you're not one for negotiation. » He raised his hooded gaze to lock with the central eye of the still-sizzling Magneton, a knowing smirk besetting his visage. « However, I'm afraid that you'll have to do a [i_lot_[/i better than that, my dearly misguided acquaintance. »

Mentali crouched low to the ground, his smallish form belying all the power that had built up within his coiled muscles. Every cell within him tensed in preparation; he'd a fair distance to go with his opening move. His level gaze scrutinized the airborne enemy, eyes glinting even though the world was dulled by the storm above. A primal flash it was, that which claimed his midnight irises. Above him, the Magneton finally discharged the last bit of electricity that lingered from its recent attack. Now was his chance!

With a grating, feral hiss, Mentali launched himself into the air, all four legs extending behind him with the force of his vaulting. Startled, the Magneton barely had time to begin twisting sideways before the Espeon's Headbutt connected with a lower sphere. There was a resounding [i_clang[/i_ at the moment of impact; Mentali immediately flung his legs out and fell to the earth; the Magneton unleashed a strangled, buzzing moan as it was spun off balance by the impact. Landing with a grunt of exertion, Mentali had to take a moment to right himself properly; his head was swimming and his ears ringing after that less-than-brilliant choice of an attack. Honestly[i_Headbutting[/i_ a Steel-type…

The Magneton slammed into the ground a moment later, but immediately rose into the air once more. Its three eyes blinked quickly, one rolling in a nauseating fashion. After it had shaken off the hit – a light one, due to its steel-coated body – it addressed Mentali with more of its transformer-emulated speech.

« I zzzzzaid zhat I didn't-t knnnnnowwww Zzzzzzhunder, » it drawled, the black magnets upon its form beginning to turn on their axes. Overhead, the clouds seemed to congeal, growing ever thicker in the vicinity above the dueling Pokémon. As the magnets upon the silvery tri-orb Pokémon picked up speed, generating burst after burst of sizzling fallout energy, it continued in a sinister tone. « But-t I didn't-t zzzzzzzzaaaaaaaaaaaay… zhat I knnnnneeeeew annnnuzzzzer at-taaaaaack! »

The whirring of his six magnets had allowed each to gather a large orb of pulsating electrical energy; Mentali could feel the shifting currents of electrical charge, seething through the air around him. The static washed over him, causing his fir to stand on end for the umpteenth time that day. As he prepared himself to dodge, he racked his brain for what this may have been. His older sister had never used an attack that prepared itself like this; but then again, she didn't have any magnets, either. He watched carefully, edging slowly backwards, occasionally blinking water from his eyes as the rain continued to beat down upon them. Another ear-splitting crack of thunder pealed a warning from the gods as the Magneton continued its preparation.

The six magnets began decelerating, and as if their speed had kept the electrical spheres small and compact, their deceleration allowed them to expand. The six pulsating balls of static grew until each was at least as large as one of the Magneton's body spheres. When at last the magnets had stopped their spinning altogether, the balls of condensed thunder drifted towards the Magneton's center of balance, seemingly intent upon merging with each other. At first, though, the negatively-charged spheres would not bring themselves too near, thanks to the laws of physics, but then, something else happened.

A light had begun to shine from behind the rotating wall of electricity; a positively-charged mote of energy had appeared between them all. Instantly, the six were drawn to this newest point of energy, unleashing a wild arc of blue electricity with the motion. The Magneton's entire body began to quiver, its magnets and screws twitching with humongous effort; it was pouring everything it had into this next attack. And then, it came to him; Mentali suddenly realized that he was staring at one of the most powerful Electric attacks known, second only in popularity to the over-used Thunder. He remembered where he'd seen this before, as well – the Ecruteak City Gym. The human had ordered his own Magneton to perform such an attack, and he'd given it a rather odd title, as well – Zap Cannon, or some other fantastical appellation. As soon as this thought occurred to him, he then realized one other rather important detail – the formation of so many orbs of energy beforehand hadn't been part of the attack… it had been another move entirely, one his sister only wished she could learn – Charge.

Just as he'd made his mind up to dodge, however, his attention was suddenly cloven by an undulating cry, nearly muted by the howling winds.

« YO, MENTAAAAAAAAAAALIIIIIIII!!! » Mentali snapped his head around in surprise, only to find his twin galloping up the road from Olivine. He made to turn back away, and was going to shout something fleetingly dismissive, but it was too late. As he turned back, his vision was filled with an explosion of blinding white light, rivaling even that which had stemmed from the lightning-Ampharos collision earlier. The overpowering sound of static raped his ears, and the next thing he knew, the attack had connected.

Unlike so many other Electric-type attacks, Zap Cannon did not surround and envelope; instead, it simply hammered. The blast of fulminating charges smashed into Mentali's hip, slamming him instantly into the ground and scorching his fur as the charge passed through his suddenly frail body. The force of the attack sent the Magneton careening off through the air, but it did far worse to Mentali; he literally screamed – both mentally and physically – as a second shockwave of pure energy crashed down upon him like some great and mighty storm surge, grinding his entire body into the ground.

For a moment, neither Mentali nor the Magneton, who had just managed to right himself several decameters away, budged. Overwhelming pain was wracking Mentali's body, the result of far too much electrical stimulation of every nerve cell within him. At once, he lapsed into a partial seizure, his muscles contorting with such violent force that his body was curled into a rigid fetal position, despite the mud which pressed upon him from all sides. But after a moment, the petit mal episode subsided, and his taught myofibrils all relaxed; the mud sucked and squelched around his battered form as he shifted painfully.

Above the din which sounded relentlessly in his throbbing skull, he could vaguely perceive his brother's voice, calling his name with increasing verve. Slowly, Mentali came back to himself, the world returning to him as if from another dimension entirely. He'd never been hit with such a powerful attack; the Magneton had obviously been withholding a great deal with its opening Thundershock. A paroxysm gripped his exposed right side, the thin muscles between his ribs contracting without a return relaxation; the spasm was complete and unrelenting. At last, after finally returning to full worldly awareness, he strained upwards against the mud – the presence of which had likely been his saving grace.

At first, his limbs were so shaky and weak from the recent electrical overload that he merely twitched in the grips of the muck, but after a few moments, enough of his strength had returned that he was able to pull himself free of the slosh. Slowly, with a Herculean effort that he would never have admitted to needing, he came fully to his feet. His knees and elbows vibrated with exertion; somehow, he managed to muster up enough sardonic attitude to curse himself for turning away from the Magneton. He took a shaky step forward, now truly ignoring the redundant sounding of his name from his ever-nearing twin.

Mentali ground his fangs together in aggravated consternation, struggling against the flames of endless pain in his side. The gem upon his forehead began to glow, more fiercely than ever before, as he prepared himself for what had to be done. The Magneton was slowly returning to their makeshift battlefield, rain audibly pinging off of his form as he laid a particularly scathing glare upon the Espeon. He wasn't particularly happy to see the Pokémon getting back up again; after all, he'd allotted every last particle of latent and otherwise stored energy within his body to that attack; he'd even drawn from the storm above, as best as he could, by inverting the charges on his magnets in such a fashion. No Pokémon should have been able to get back up after that – at least, none that didn't seriously pose a [i_dire[/i_ threat to his well-being. He gave all of his magnets an analytical spin, feeling for the warm tingle of a developing charge, but alas, none greeted him. He was really and truly without electricity, and he wasn't exactly sure how long it'd take to recharge. Hope quickly fading, he began to rise higher into the air, one last – if slightly moronic – tactic available.

Mentali took another step forward, this time firmly planting his paw before him. The ruby upon his forehead had taken on new life; it glowed with such vibrant white light that the upper edges of Mentali's vision were obscured. His unblinking eyes, normally as black as the night skies above Ecruteak, had begun to shine with a faint, translucent blue light. Another second and the same eerie glow began to emanate from his entire body, rising as though born from the very follicles of hair that covered him. As this peculiar energy wafted off of his form, a rather odd thing took place: a slight breeze seemed to center itself around only Mentali, contrary to the billowing winds of the mounting storm; the long, scruffy tufts of fur that framed his jaw from beneath either ear lifted, ever so slightly, just ruffled by this counter breeze. Even the torrential rains seemed to divert themselves around the growing aura which now enveloped the Eeveelution.

Several meters back down the road towards Olivine, Noctali had stopped in his tracks. Obviously, his brother had gotten into a fight, and he wasn't too keen on getting in the middle of it. Granted, it would have been rather run to jump in front of a concentrated wave of Psychic energy – that funny tingly feeling just [i_never[/i_ got old… but he wasn't too sure he'd like the feeling of Electrical power from the Magneton. Especially after the way that last attack had floored Mentali so much; he had never seen one attack take his brother down with such ease! At least, it had been quite some time since he had… He contented himself by watching, expecting at the very least a nice, shiny show. The rain in his eyes was a bit annoying, so he pranced off towards the edge of the road to nestle himself in amongst a clump of bushes. They were pointy and rather uncomfortable, sharp bits grabbing at his fur and even prodding him in the eye at one point, but it certainly beat the open rain.

The gentle aura which surrounded Mentali grew agitated, ceasing to waft gently from his form and commencing to cling to him, though writhing outwards at the same time, begging for release. The lavender Pokémon had to take another step forward, almost unwillingly, as the rush of so much Psychic energy pounded through him, slamming against the walls of his chest and tearing through his airways. Every sanguine cell within him thrummed with the all too familiar force of the pending attack. His blue-misted gaze rose to affix itself upon the Magneton – which was strangely inching ever higher into the air – and he allowed his next thought to escape the confines of his cranium.

« It's been so very pleasant, dearest bastard. »

His tail lashed out, his eyes bulged open, his jaw gaped wide, and he unleashed a primal roar as he heaved the Psychic energy forth from him. The collective aura, finally given its outlet, surged forward into a jagged beam of psychedelic energy, exploding vigorously from the gem upon his forehead. The erratic Psywave tore through the air between them with nearly as much unfocused ferocity as a poorly-aimed Electrical attack, darting about before it finally connected with the Magneton, who'd been too stunned by the display to respond. A brilliant, contorted sort of flare clove through the area, bearing semblance to some hyped-up child's effigy of a lightning flash as the energy was pounded into, around, and through the enemy Pokémon. The entire vicinity was at once drained of all natural color, briefly replaced by the psychotically pulsating myriad of hues which stemmed from this attack.

The Magneton stood no chance.

As the final lingering fibers of the multi-colored blast rushed by, allowing the murky excuse for nature's appearance to return to the place, the Magneton seemed to disintegrate; the three spheres fell separately, as their component magnets and screws all dislodged and fell behind. There soon came the sound of eighteen various splatters in the mud, as it collectively hit the ground.

Mentali did not look upon the spoils of his victory; he stood instead with his head slightly hung, gasping for breath as the rain continued to batter his form. The better part of the mud coating his side had been pushed away by the persistent rain, along with his last burst of energy. Nonetheless, it was with a decidedly dirt face that he turned to greet his brother, who could be heard galloping up the road.

« Noctali, no - ! » Mentali began, but it was too late. Noctali flew into him, pinning his still-sore form down in the mud yet again. A gasp of surprise, discomfort, and some true pain escaped his chest in a rush, but he said nothing further; no scolds flew from his aggravated mind, no angry hisses fell from his lashing tongue. He simply lay back in the mud and let Noctali go on for a moment about the amazing shininess of his Psywave and how it would soon be a full-fledged Psychic attack if he didn't watch it, and other increasingly superlative statements.

When at last the praising rant was over, Noctali stepped off of his brother's chest and helped him back to his feet, commenting playfully on the dirty state of his fur.

« Yes, well… be that as it may, I honestly don't care right now, » Mentali said, following his brother back up the road. « Let's just head home, shall we? »

An hour passed by, the Magneton's many components not moving at all as the rain continued to cascade from the low ceiling. All over the route, large puddles had begun to form in lower areas; trees hung their newly weighted arms low, unable to stand so proudly tall amongst such continual drenching. Through the rhythmically bland patter of trillions of raindrops upon the saturated ground, the sound of one heavy footfall stood out. A moment later, it was echoed; then, the beast which knew such a heavy gait strode calmly towards the broken Pokémon upon the ground.

Its body was vaguely feline, covered in shockingly yellow fur. A pair of deadly sabers hung from its upper chops, glinting death in the dreary half-light of the storm. A deep violet mane flowed almost gracefully from the back of its head, shifting on the breezes as though it were unaffected at all by the dampness. This great beast loomed over the fallen Magneton, its jagged silver tail jerking about in contrast to the elegance with which it carried itself. Hard amber eyes glared down from its black mask, scrutinizing its defeated minion.

« [i_All failures…[/i _» it spoke softly, its deep, resonant voice filling the gaps between that sound which took place in the world and that which did not. « [i_Shall be treated as such.[/i_ » Without further ado, it lifted its mighty forepaw, a single spark dancing around one extended claw, and gently placed it upon one of the Magneton's disjointed spheres. A clap of thunder rang through the heavens, unaccompanied by the slightest flash of lightning, as the silvery sheen of the Magneton – and all of its scatter body parts – faded to the shifting gray that so well fitted the grains of ash that it had suddenly become.

The prodigious Pokémon raised his head towards the sky, and was struck by a flash of lightning which sounded no thunder. As the light faded, its form was gone, presence noted only by an incomplete set of paw prints.

The ashes of the Magneton soon blended in with the slosh of the ground, forever gone from the realm of the living; forever a part of the natural world.

Chapitre 3 – Fin; Pour être continué.

Des mots de l'auteur:

At last, chapter 3. I'm so sorry for the wait; school has been utter hell recently. And let me just say in advance, to those of you who may have thought the battle scene was a bit slow, I know. Believe it or not, it was honestly meant to be that way this time.

From Chapitre 4:

"…They all gathered about the hearth, trying fervently to ignore the sounds of the raging storm, even as their home was shaken violently by every blast of thunder. Their mother settled herself before them all, glistening black eyes hooded pensively, as she began to recount the tale…"


End file.
